


The Dark Hour

by Ecrivaisseur



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-02
Updated: 2016-01-30
Packaged: 2018-04-18 14:48:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 18,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4709864
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ecrivaisseur/pseuds/Ecrivaisseur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“Now, about your curse,” Cora said, looking her daughter in the eyes. “I am going to help you enact it. And in this new land - with no magic - you will finally be able to get your revenge. And we will both live, happily, while watching Snow White, Prince Charming and everyone else suffer for eternity.”</p><p>Moved by Regina's words over her coffin, Cora reveals herself to her daughter and proposes they enact Rumplestiltskin's dark curse... together. Along with everyone else, they're taken to Storybrooke with the launching of the curse, where they rule over the town steadfastly for 28 years. Regina adopts Henry and is mayor, while Cora watches over affairs of her own. Their lives are seemingly perfect, that is until Emma Swan comes to town. Now, with the savior threatening their curse, they must find a way to stop her, and they've got the perfect plan. AU If Cora had been in Storybrooke during the curse.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> This will be a story about what life would've been like if Cora had gone to our world with Regina. Each chapter will begin with a flashback to Cora and Regina's time leading up to their launch of the curse, and then will continue with the main storyline. I hope you enjoy it.

Chapter One

The Beginning 

* * *

  **Past**

Her body, lifeless and cold, lay there in the stone tomb and, though she was dead, Cora’s presence still made Regina nervous. She feared what her mother would’ve done if she _hadn’t_ been killed by Hook.

Death, Regina was certain, would've been her fate had her mother survived. 

 

Even still, Regina had to say something to her mother. She had to justify why she did it.

Cora may not have been the best mother to her, but she still was just that, her mother. Even after everything, Regina felt she had to say something. 

 _She had to explain why_. 

“After you killed Daniel, you told me something I’ve never forgotten…” Regina paused, her mind flickering back to that fateful moment between her and her mother, “‘ _love is weakness_ ’” she paused again, finding herself emotional. She fought to hold back tears.

Regina could feel the pain she had felt then, after her mother had killed Daniel. The shock, the betrayal, the hurt. It was numb, but still present. 

She'd never forget it, but nor would she ever forget the woman that lay before her.

“Well mother you are my weakness, because I love you. That’s why I couldn’t risk taking you to the new land with me. Your grip on my heart is just too strong. And for what I need to do, I can’t have any weakness.” Unable to hold it back anymore, a tear gently slid down her cheek and fell onto the edge of the tomb. Regina took the red rose she had been holding in her hands - her mother’s favorite - and placed it calmly on top of her. “Goodbye mother.”

The Evil Queen slowly turned away from her mother ’s body and quietly walked away, tears rolling down her cheeks. It felt unreal. _Her mother was dead, and she had killed her_.

“ _Regina_ ,” a familiar voice croaked before she had left the room. Regina froze and her eyes widened. She shook her head. _No, she must’ve just heard it in her head_. She continued to walk out of the room.

“Regina,” the voice echoed again, this time louder. It wasn’t in her head, _it was real_.

Regina stumbled in disbelief as she turned around to see the figure of her mother sitting up straight in her coffin, clutching the red rose in her hand, very much alive. Her expression was serious as she looked directly at her daughter. The Evil Queen turned cold white.

“Mo-mother?” she stuttered. Only moments before she had been laying her dead mother to rest, and now she was talking to her. Her mother was alive.

It was like seeing a ghost.

“Yes, my love,” Cora reassured, poofing herself from inside the coffin to outside it. She reached, open-arms, for her daughter, “I’m alive. I was the whole time.”

Regina took a step back, very much afraid of what her mother might do. _Regina had killed her_ \- or, as she now realized, had _tried_ to kill her. She would surely be furious with her.

Cora moved towards her daughter.

“I heard what you said over my coffin. You cried, my love. Your words moved me.”

“You-you’re not angry with me for trying to have you killed?” Regina asked, very much she surprised with her reaction. She melted before her mother.

“I was, at first, of course. But then I heard what you said earlier. That I was your weakness and that you loved me,” she smiled and took her daughter in her arms. Regina let her. “You tried to have me killed so that you would have no weakness when enacting your curse. That shows strength,” she leaned in and whispered in Regina’s ear, “I am _so_ proud of you.”

They remained that way, tightly hugging each other, in silence for a minute or so. This was the closest to her mother Regina had ever felt. She meant every word she had said to her mother earlier, and now, hopefully, things would be better between them.

She wanted it more than anything…

Finally Cora pulled back and broke the silence.

“Now, about your curse,” she said, looking her daughter in the eyes. “I am going to help you enact it. And in this new land - with no magic - you will finally be able to get your revenge. And we will both live, happily, while watching Snow White, Prince Charming and everyone else suffer for eternity.”

* * *

  **Present**

**28 Years Later**

Cora Mills’s eyes gently fluttered open as she awoke from her slumber. She let out a small groan as she stretched out her arms and hands, laying there as her body slowly woke up.

Slowly sitting up from her pillow, she rose out of her bed and walked across her large, sun-filled bedroom, with it’s grand red furniture, tall, elegant windows, and big, four-poster bed, and into her adjoining bathroom. Stepping into her closet, she slipped into a satin, pink robe over her silk nightgown and slid her bare feet into a pair of cozy slippers. Walking back into her bathroom, she glanced at herself in the dominating mirror - checking to make sure her appearance was decent. Deciding her hair needed some brushing, she pulled a brush out of the drawer and ran it through her thick, brown locks of hair.

Since they had come to this land, 28 years ago, Cora had always had a hard time adjusting to life without magic. She missed her magic, of course, mainly for the power magic afforded her, but also for the small things it gave her. For example, in the Enchanted Forrest and Wonderland, all she had to do to get ready in the morning was twirl her hand, the magic that she summoned taking care of the rest for her. Even so, before she had been that skilled at magic, she had had an army of servants dress and prepare her in the morning. The only time she had ever had to dress herself was back when she worked on her father’s mill.

Though she much preferred to forget that chapter of her life - her life of poverty as the miller’s daughter - she knew all too well that the experience helped make her into the woman she was today.

But, even still, she did miss her magic.

A loud thud suddenly sounded from nearby, interrupting Cora from her thoughts. It was followed by the clicking open of a door and then a patter of footsteps through the hallways and then down the stairs. Cora smiled at the familiar noise she heard every morning. It always meant one thing: _Henry was awake_.

For the past few months, Henry had been acting up. It had all started when he had found out he was adopted, which he didn’t take lightly. He was saddened, and depressed, that his birth mother had given him up, a feeling which he kept hidden from Regina and Cora. They had only found out through his teacher, Mary Margaret Blanchard, who had reluctantly revealed it to them after being threatened by the mother and daughter duo.

As a result, they had decided to send him to therapy.

The elderly lady set her brush down and walked back into her room and then out the door. She strolled down the hallway and to the grand staircase, where she slowly glided down to the first floor of the large house - looking every bit like the queen she was. Cora paused before the dark, circular table that stood at the center of the entry hall, where a small purple vase of red roses stood. She gently took a whiff of the flowers before walking into the dining room. _Red roses were her favorite_.

She was greeted with the image of her grandson seated at the table, quickly stuffing several books into his backpack. He avoided his grandmother’s gaze.

“Good morning, Henry,” she greeted him with a smile, patting him on the shoulders.

“Morning, grandma.”

Cora quietly chuckled at her grandchild’s lack of formality or concern as she passed through the dining room and into the kitchen, where her daughter was busy making breakfast. The smell of eggs and toast were in the air.

“Good morning, my love” Cora said as walked into the kitchen.

“Good morning, mother,” Regina said as she pushed around eggs in the heating skillet. She walked over to her mother and kissed her on the cheek.

Cora smiled faintly.

She was not known for showing affection towards her daughter. Regina knew that very well, and she never expected anything more than words of praise and an occasional hug or kiss as a sign of her mother’s love. Cora always seemed incapable of anything more.

Regina always tried to overlook it.

“Tea?” Regina asked as she walked back to the stove.

“Of course,” Cora replied, sitting down on one of the barstools that decorated the kitchen island.

Regina retrieved a red cup from one of the wooden cabinets and set it before her mother, pouring her mother some of the hot tea she had made a few moments ago. The steam rose up steadily from the cup as Cora took it in her hands and brought it to her lips.

She gently blew away some of the smoke.

“Thank you, dear,” the elder women said warmly, taking a small sip of the liquid. “So,” she continued, “Henry appears to be in a better mood today. He seemed excited for school. Maybe his spell has passed.”

Regina sighed as she flipped off the stove and placed the spoon she had been stirring with on the counter. “I truly hope so, but I worry that he’s not.” They were careful not to raise their voices too loud, so that Henry wouldn’t hear them.

“What makes you think that?” Cora questioned, setting the cup down. An air of severity suddenly filled the room.

As Regina was about to answer her mother, the little voice of Henry shouted from the dining room. “Uh, my bus is going to be here soon and I don’t want to be late, gotta go!” he fumbled together his books and his backpack as the sound of his feet clapping against the hardwood floors burst from the other room.

“Henry!” Regina called after him, rushing out of the kitchen and into the dining room to catch him, only to see the front door close as the little boy left. She could see him run down the driveway and cross the street to where his bus picked him up. He was gone.

Regina sauntered sadly back into the kitchen to see her mother at the counter, skillet in hand, shoveling the now-done scrambled eggs onto a small, white plate. The younger woman sat down on a barstool, a look of somber on her face as Cora pushed forward the plate of eggs towards her.

“Eat up,” Cora motherly commanded, handing her daughter a fork. Reluctantly, Regina scooped a few pieces of the yellow mush onto her fork and into her mouth. She did so aimlessly, as if her mind was elsewhere.

Cora could tell something was wrong with her daughter.

“What is it, my love?” the elder woman asked, gently rubbing her daughter’s back.

Regina sighed as she looked at her mother with desperation in her eyes.

“It’s Henry,” she confessed, bringing the conversation back to where they left off only moments ago, “Apparently he’s been going on to Dr. Hopper about how we’re all characters from his story book. He thinks that I am the Evil Queen, and that I placed a curse on everyone. Mother, he’s practically figured out the whole thing!”

“Regina, he’s a confused child with a very creative imagination,” Cora reassured, “No one is going to believe him. And in time he will outgrow this preposterous theory. We have nothing to worry about, my love.”

Cora gently rested her hand against her daughter’s cheek and smiled at her. “Maybe you’re right,” Regina agreed.

“Of course I am, my dear.”

They sat in silence, for a moment, as Regina continued to munch on her eggs and Cora sipped her tea, before the elder woman interrupted. “Well, I had better go get dressed for the day. I’ll see you at the office, my love.”

Cora Mills exited the kitchen and slowly walked back through the dining room, in the entrance hall, and up the staircase. In the back of her mind played the resounding truth that was oh so important, Rumplestiltskin’s familiar words: the curse will be broken in 28 years by a savior. Could Henry’s discovering of this plan be a precursor to that? Cora didn’t know. But for now, she was content with the life she had. It was one of comfort, of power, with her daughter.

And she wasn’t going to let anything disrupt that.

 _Anything_.


	2. Henry's Birthmother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Cora meet Henry's biological mother, Emma Swan.

Chapter Two

Henry's Birthmother 

* * *

  **Past**

The Evil Queen reluctantly strutted out of her heart vault and into the bedroom of her large palace, slightly unsure of what to make of what had occurred just a moment before between her and her mother. Not an hour ago, she had believed her mother to be dead. And now she wasn’t. Instead, she was now helping her to enact her revenge against Snow White.

Regina could barely believe any of this was happening.

 Loosening her shawl and slipping it off, Cora followed behind her, looking around at her familiar settings. The dark palace looked much as it did the last time she had seen it, gloomy and formal, with stone everywhere. Hopefully, this time, things between Cora and Regina would go a little more smoothly than the last time.

She could still hear the echo of Regina’s last words to her… _“I don’t need you.”_

Out of the corner of her eye, Cora could see a small, blading man with white hair standing at the roaring fireplace. She immediately recognized her husband, Henry.

“Have you made peace with your mother’s death, my love?” Henry asked, turning around towards his daughter, unaware that Cora was with her. His face turned pale white and his eyes widened when he finally noticed her. “C-Cora?”

“Yes, Henry, it is me. I am not dead,” she brushed him off. He had been of no use to her when they were married, and even so now he was probably useless to Regina. Her husband always was a _weakling_. He never had the ambition or skill that his father, King Xavier, did, Cora thought, as much as she didn’t like him. Cora was confident that Henry would do nothing but get in the way.

“B-but how?” He trembled, terrified. He looked as if he had seen a ghost. Years of torment and abuse from Cora while they were married had caused him that. Cora had been brutal to him, and it certainly showed.

Regina sympathized for her father. He truly was scared of her.

“I am afraid there is no time to explain it. You wouldn’t understand.” Cora looked away from him, acting as if he was an unknowing young child, “If you don’t mind, we have work to do.” She signaled for him to depart from the room.

He did so, without question. They both watched him leave.

“Mother,” Regina said, turning towards Cora, “you should really be more nice to him.” She was afraid to protest too much. She didn’t want to ruin her reunion with her mother.

“I am sorry, my dear, if you disapprove of the way I treat your father. I don’t see him the way you do. Him and I, we have a different kind of relationship.” Cora smiled at her daughter and stepped forward. She ran her fingers through Regina’s silken hair and looked into her eyes. “There is something you should understand, my love. Men, well, they are good for a time. They’re easily manipulated - easily used by a strong woman. You’re father is weak. He needs a strong, dominate woman in his life like you and I to use him. But I am sure you already know that.”

Unfortunately, Regina was well aware of how weak her father was. She often used him and mistreated him, as much as she didn’t like to admit it. She was ashamed of it because she knew that’s just what her mother had done to him.

In fact, she was ashamed of how she had treated both her parents. The last time she had seen her mother, she had told her to get the hell out of her life. To go away and never come back, even after she had tried to help her. When her mother did leave, and go back to Wonderland, she had realized how much she had missed her. It had proved to her that she loved her mother, even after everything, and that she needed her.

“Mother…” Regina uttered as Cora walked over to the balcony of the room, to survey the kingdom.

“Yes?” she replied, turning around towards her daughter, “What is it?”

Regina stepped towards her, with her head down.

“I am sorry the way I spoke to you the last time you were here. When you visited on the anniversary of Daniel’s death. I.. I…” she stuttered to Cora. She really did feel terrible about it.

Cora stepped forward and interrupted her daughter. “There is no need to say anymore,” she reassured, “It’s alright, love. We all say things we don’t mean.” She took her daughter by her shoulders, “I don’t blame you. I should never have made you marry the king, I should never have killed Daniel, and I never should’ve lied to you about that man. For that I am so sorry.”

Regina smiled at her mother’s words.

She desperately wanted to believe they were true.

* * *

**Present**

Henry had been missing the entire day. After going outside to wait for the bus, Regina hadn’t seen him again and apparently no one else had either. Neither Regina or Cora had suspected anything was wrong until Henry didn’t show up at the mayor’s office for the weekly dinner he had with the two them after his therapy session. And after furiously calling up both Dr. Hopper and Ms. Blanchard, it was revealed that Henry had skipped both school and his therapy appointment telling both that he wouldn’t be able to make it because he was sick. Regina quickly called the sheriff and demanded that a missing persons report be filed - despite it not being 24 hours since the last time anyone had seen. Since she was the mayor, however, she was able to use her position to have one filed.

And so, Regina and Cora waited for any news of Henry in the living room of their home. Regina had wanted to go search Storybrooke herself - it was her town, after all - though Cora had convinced her it would be best to wait in case he came home.  

“You want to be here in case he comes back to the house, don’t you love?”

They were interrupted by the ring of the doorbell, followed by a knock from the entrance hall. Suddenly, the front door of the great house clicked open and boots tapped against the ground.

_“Henry?”_

Regina rushed from the living room followed by her mother, though stopped dead in her tracks when it was revealed to only be Sheriff Graham.

“I have good news,” the handsome man said, walking towards the two ladies, “Dr. Hopper just called. Henry’s been found and he’s with some blonde woman he claims to be his birth mother.”

Regina let out a relieved “Oh, thank god!” before her face turned blank. _Henry’s birth mother?_

How could this be? How could she have found him? The records were sealed _per her request_. That meant _no_ contact whatsoever for both parties. It was a law-binding agreement. Why would she want to find him now?

Cora, on the other hand, was thinking something entirely different. As much as she was glad to have found her grandson, she couldn’t have been less happier that his birth mother was in town because it meant one thing: the savior who was destined to break the curse was here. Snow White and Prince Charming’s baby, just as Rumplestiltskin had said after 28 years, was in town to break the curse.

 Regina, however, did _not_ know this. When she had first adopted Henry, she had had the birth mother’s background investigated, at Cora’s suggestion, and discovered that Henry’s birth mother had been found as a baby, abandoned, in the woods, not far from where Storybrooke was. _Henry’s mother was the savior who was supposed to break the curse_. Regina, insisting that her love for the child was so great she could not give him up, had drank a forgetting potion and had also given Cora one as well, though she hadn’t drank it.

She was glad she hadn’t now, for she never would’ve been able to see this coming.

They were interrupted again by the sound of a car parking in front of the house. They could see a yellow bug parked outside from the windows, and Henry Mills walking up the driveway, followed by a blonde woman in a red jacket. Regina, Graham and Cora hurried outside to greet them.

“Henry!” Regina called as she ran down the driveway, open arms, towards her son.

“Get away from me! I found my real mother!” Henry spat as he quickly unraveled himself from his mother’s hug and ran up to the house, passing by Cora and Graham who remained behind on the porch.

A sad expression fell over Regina’s face at the words of her son. Her heart sank at what he said. He didn’t realize how much it hurt her…

She looked up at the blonde woman standing on her driveway. She was a pretty woman, with luscious blonde locks of hair that flowed over her shoulders and a beautiful face. She wore a red, leather jacket, jeans and a plain shirt. Her hands were in her pockets.

She gave off a very unmannered impression to Regina.

“Thank you,” Regina managed, offering a weak smile.

“Don’t mention it.”

“So you’re Henry’s birthmother?” the brunette asked.

“Hi…” the blonde girl responded, attempting to avoid the already present awkwardness of the situation, “my name’s Emma… Emma Swan.”

Regina ran her fingers through her dark hair. “Regina Mills.”

Cora had eyed this delicate situation quietly from her position with the sheriff on the porch, trying to make what she could of Henry’s birth mother, the savior. She didn’t look like much of a savior, with her cheap clothes and yellow bug. However, Cora needed to get a better reading of the girl.

“Miss Swan,” the elder woman called out to the girl, “Why don’t you come inside and have a glass of my daughter’s famous apple cider.” She smiled warmly at the girl. What better way to find out just who this person was than by asking her. And as the famous saying goes: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.

* * *

 

“And you’re Henry’s grandmother?” Emma Swan asked as she sat down on a plush, cream colored couch.

 After accepting their offer to come inside, Emma had followed Cora and Regina through the entrance hall of the Mills residence and to the adjoining library, where the promised liquid rested. Sheriff Graham, deciding to leave the ladies to it, had gone upstairs to check in on Henry.

“That I am,” Cora grinned at the young girl as she walked over to a large, wooden buffet that stood against a patterned wall, where a tall glass bottle and several small cup sat. She reached for a glass and poured the liquid from the bottle into it.

“He’s a pretty special kid,” Emma thought aloud.

“Indeed, he is,” the elder lady agreed as she offered a glass of apple cider to the lady. Emma Swan eagerly accepted.

“How exactly did you find my son, Miss Swan,” Regina questioned. She had taken a seat directly across from Emma in a leather armchair near the roaring fireplace. She looked at the blonde girl suspiciously.

“Uh, I didn’t…” the blonde responded, much to the confusion of the other women, “he found me. I heard a knock at my apartment door, and then BOOM, there he was at my front door. He walked right in and told me that I was his mother, and that I needed to come back with him to town.” She took a sip of her drink. “How did he find _me_?”

The two other women looked at one another, and then back at the blonde sitting across from them.

“No idea,” Regina started, “the records were sealed away. I was told the birth mother didn’t want to have any contact.”

“You were told right,” Emma said, gently nodding her head.

“And the father?” Regina interrupted, “Do we need to be worried about him?” She looked at the blonde sternly, her eyes staring into the girl’s.

She already didn't like this girl.

“Nope. Doesn’t even know he has a kid.”

“Good… And what about you, Ms. Swan? Do I need to worry about you?” Regina asked bluntly, as if a soldier ready to attack. Her mother interrupted her from her stance near the fireplace.

“Regina,” Cora said heartily, laying her hand reassuringly on her daughter’s shoulder, “I am sure Miss Swan has had a long night. We should let her go.” She looked at the blonde, who nodded with approval - her mouth full of the delicious apple cider.

“Yes!” Emma said, standing up, “I really should be off. It’s about a two hour drive back to Boston.”

* * *

“Other than being a tired little boy, Henry is fine,” Sheriff Graham reassured as he walked down the steps of the staircase towards the two Mills ladies.

Emma Swan had just pulled away in her yellow bug when he did so, much to the relief of Regina.

“Thank you, Sheriff,” Regina said, going up to kiss him on the cheek, however she suddenly refrained and instead awkwardly hugged him. She walked him to the door and let him out.

She turned to the sight of her mother, arms-crossed, one of her finely penciled eyebrows arched liked a boomerang. “Still having an affair with that man, I see.”

“That’s none of your business, mother,” Regina said as she walked past Cora and into the dining room, where she poured herself a glass of scotch. She took a gulp, and let out a sigh. “I don’t need your approval of who I am with.”

Her son had just been found after having secretly traveled to Boston to find a complete stranger, yet her mother still found now an appropriate time to criticize her.

“I didn’t say I disapproved,” she said, stepping calmly towards her daughter, “It’s a smart move, my dear, having the sheriff under your influence. You always want them eating out of the palm of your hands. That’s how you really dominate them, my dear, and then you can have them doing whatever you want.” She smiled at her daughter approvingly.

Regina rolled her eyes. “Whatever you say, mother.”

The elder lady stared silently at her daughter for a moment, watching her drink the glass of liquid. Cora eyed her closely. She could see the worry in Regina’s face. It was a look of concern. Concerned that she might lose her child, Henry. Her daughter was clearly worried that Emma Swan was going to try and take her child away.

It was the same look Cora had had when she had first had Regina, after breaking her deal with Rumplestiltskin. She had been in a fear-like state for many months, worried that the Dark One would take her child from her. Regina looked so very much like the elder woman’s younger self.

People _had_ always said that Regina resembled a young Cora.

In that moment, Cora came very close to telling her daughter about who Emma Swan really was: the daughter of Snow White and Prince Charming. Telling her that Emma was the savior, who it had been said would break the curse in 28 years. That she could destroy everything they had built.

But Cora didn’t. She decided to spare her child that horror. Cora Mills would deal with Emma Swan, and her daughter wouldn’t need to know a thing.


	3. Calling The Exterminator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Emma being in town, Cora decides to do something about getting rid of her.

Chapter Three

Calling The Exterminator 

* * *

  **Past**

“What do you mean no magic?” Cora said bluntly to her daughter, an expression of horror and disbelief painted over her face.

After their heart-felt reunion an hour earlier, Cora and her daughter had decided to sit down and plan their course of action. Though Cora was familiar with the curse itself - as Rumplestiltskin had mentioned it once or twice to her long ago - she wasn’t sure of the particular details. She knew that it would take away everyone to a new land, and wipe away everyone’s memory. Cora did not, however, understand the new land was one without magic.

“I mean there will be no magic in this new land, mother. It is a land without magic,” Regina explained, sitting directly across from her mother on a lounging sofa. “That is one of the conditions of the dark curse.”

“But can it be changed?”

“No.” Regina knew her mother wouldn’t be able to accept the fact that they would be going to a land without magic. She wouldn’t be able to accept it, nor would she want to. For so long her mother had been accustomed to using magic. Magic had always been Cora’s livelihood since the day she had learned of the power it offered it. It was how she had managed to survive, after all, and raise herself up. She been used to using it for decades of her life.

Letting go of it would be no easy task.

Regina herself had hard time dealing with that fact, and she had been using magic for a fourth of the time Cora had. But, they would both have to make sacrifices to get what they both had agreed they wanted: the suffering of everyone else.

“But Regina, you understand what that’ll be like, don’t you?”

As Regina had predicted, Cora was outraged at the fact that there would be no magic in this land. She was speechless. Cora couldn’t picture a life without magic. How would they survive? How would they be able to control? Magic was something she was unable to live without. After all these years of using it as a tool, it had become apart of her. She found herself unable to deal with a life without magic.

Magic is power. And power, true power, endures. Magic gave her power.

“I do, mother. But I am willing to accept it so that way I may get what I ultimately desire. A land where I will have my happy ending and Snow White will not. And you told me that’s what you wanted as well.”

“I do, my love, but no magic? How do you expect to rule without magic? Unfortunately my dear, you may be charming, but you are not ruthless enough to rule without magic.”

Regina tried to not show how hurt she had been by her mother’s words. Cora had returned into her life for a mere few hours, after years apart, and already she was finding a fault in her. It always felt like Regina was never enough for her. That there was always something else she could improve on. Hadn’t it been enough that she had succeeded, without her mother’s help, on becoming a powerful, independent queen?

Despite her effort, her mother could still tell she was hurt. “Oh my child,” Cora said, moving towards her daughter and brushing her hand against her cheek, “I can see my comment has offended you. You know I didn’t mean for you to be hurt. I only want what’s best for you, dear. I want to help you.”

Regina looked at her mother.“Really?”

“Of course! And that’s why, in this new land,” Cora said, regaining her momentum, “We may not have magic, but we will still have power. And then, together, you and I will be able to rule and watch, enjoyably, as our enemies suffer.”

* * *

 

**Present**

Much to Regina’s annoyance, Emma Swan had not, in fact, left Storybrooke that night. Instead, she had been arrested for drunk driving, after crashing her car, and hauled off to the police station, where Regina had found her sleeping in one of the station’s two cells. Graham had been watching her - a little too closely for Regina’s comfort - and when Regina stumbled in he explained to her what had happened.

“Ms. Swan, I surely thought you’d have been back in Boston by now. Instead, I find you’ve been recklessly putting my town’s citizens at risk by driving under the influence which resulted in you crashing your car,” Regina sharply spoke to the blonde, who had woken up and now stood at the bars of her cell. “It’s a wonder no one was injured. You could’ve done some serious damage.”

“I wasn’t under the influence, lady. The only thing I had to drink that night was your apple cider. A wolf jumped outta nowhere in front of my car and that’s what caused me to crash,” Emma defended.

“Please,” the brunette said with disgust, rolling her eyes, “They’re aren’t wolves in this area. I’ve been the mayor of this town for a very long time, Ms. Swan, and not once has there been a report about wolves in my forest.”

Regina was tired of this. She just wanted this woman gone and out of her life. So, she decided to give her a way out.

“Listen,” Regina said, slowly approaching the girl’s cell with her arms crossed, “I partly feel responsible for this since my son dragged you here from Boston, so I am going to give you a break.”

“Really?” asked both Graham and Emma, surprised at the mayor’s offer.

Regina impatiently motioned her hand towards the sheriff for the keys, which he reluctantly offered, her eyes still fixated displeasingly on Emma. She unlocked the cell, pushing back the bars and setting Emma Swan free. “The town won’t press charges, as long as this doesn’t happen again. You are free to leave Storybrooke.”

 _Hopefully_ , Regina thought, _this would be an enticement for the girl to leave quickly_.

Emma Swan stood their for a moment, wondering if this was really happening. She looked suspiciously at Regina. _Just go_ , Regina thought. _Leave now and never come back_. “What about my car?” she finally asked, looking at both. Regina, her stance unmoving, looked once more at the sheriff and signaled him to return her keys. Grabbing them from off his desk, he did so, tossing them to the girl. She caught them and started walking.

“Thanks,” she mumbled. The comment was caught by Regina.

“Have a nice day, Ms. Swan.” Finally, the mayor thought.

* * *

It had been a week since Emma Swan had first showed up in Storybrooke with Henry that fateful day, and she was still in town. After being let off by Regina at the station, she had apparently had a change of heart and decided to stay in town for awhile, booking a suite at Granny’s Bed & Breakfast. For the past few days she had been an annoying presence at the diner, outside Henry’s school and on the streets.

She was making Regina furious.

As retaliation, Regina had had the editor of the town’s newspaper, The Storybrooke Mirror, Sidney Glass, write a scathing report of the blonde, digging up her dreadful past as a thief, her time in prison, giving birth to a child while there, and also as a bail-bondswoman. It didn’t do much to dampen her popularity with the townspeople, however, which infuriated Regina even more. She wanted this girl gone.

Cora, however, had seen Emma’s staying in town as an opportunity. With Emma in Storybrooke - unaware of what she was truly meant to do: break the curse - Cora could destroy the girl before she had any chance of hurting what they had built. When she would realize how bad Cora and Regina would make life for her, she would leave their town and never come back.

But, Cora realized that this would never happen by publicly shaming her and saying bad things about her. They would have to do it the legal way. Something she would be forced to follow. Something that could _permanently_ hurt her.

Despite disliking not having magic in this land, Cora found using the law as an almost-as-good replacement. It offered her power in this land. Much like magic, she found she could very easily manipulate it and use it as a weapon against anyone who dared to go against her. She destroyed many a person in Storybrooke in their 28 years there by manipulating the law to her advantage, and that was what she was going to do to Emma Swan, as well.

But first, she needed to had to meet with _him_.

“I am going out, dear,” Cora shouted to her daughter from the entrance hall of their home as she stepped down from the stairs and towards the door. In her arms were folded her overcoat and scarf to protect herself against the cold New England weather. She tugged some gloves on as she spoke.

“Alright, mother. Could you pick up some milk on the way home for dinner tonight?” Regina replied from the kitchen. “The recipe calls for two cups of milk, and we’re all out.”

“Of course.” The lady slipped on her coat, wrapped her scarf around her neck, and tromped through the front door and out to her car. She was off to see someone who surely would be happy to see her as well.

* * *

 Cora’s car came to a screeching halt in front of the quaint, blue shop that graced the corner along Main Street. It was a place she visited often, much to the annoyance of its owner. But, thanks to the curse, there was absolutely nothing he could do about it.

He was practically her and Regina’s slave.

She slammed the door of her car shut, walked up to the entrance to the shop, and went inside. Cora barely glanced at the bright colored sign of the store, which read in bold letters: _Mr Gold, Pawn Shop_.

The bell above the door clinked back and forth, signaling her arrival.

“Hello, Gold,” Cora smiled warmly at the thin-haired who stood directly opposite of her at the counter. He looked up at her, raised his eyebrows and closed the small, accounting book he had been writing in. Gold set his pencil down beside him.

“Madame Mills, to what do I owe the pleasure?” he didn’t even attempt to hide the displeasure of seeing her in his voice.

It gave Cora great enjoyment to see the Dark One like this. Trapped in this life, and he didn’t even know it.

When Cora and Regina had launched the curse, they had promised him that they would give him a place of comfort in security in the new land, which is how he became the owner of the pawn shop (which is a very profitable business in a small New England town) and also the deeds to a majority of the land in the town. However, Cora wanted to make sure he would still be able to bend to her will, so she also made him their personal on again/ off again attorney. He would be forced to conduct her legal business whenever she requested it. In return, she and Regina had agreed to look the other way regarding his illegal activities.

Now would be one of those times he would be needed to conduct their business.

“I have a pest I need you to get rid of,” she said bluntly, walking towards him. She didn’t bother to take off her coat and scarf. She wouldn’t be staying long.

“Perhaps you should call an exterminator?”

“Funny,” she smirked, “But I am afraid this is a _human_ pest. One that needs to be taken care of using the law.” Her stance had now reached just a few inches away from him, and she tapped her fingers on the glass counter, near his own hands. “The mayor and I will be needing your services, Gold.”

Rumplestiltskin eyed her suspiciously before reaching for a pile of papers that sat next to him on the counter. He pulled out a thick, grey packet of paper out from underneath the stack, looked at it a moment, and then held it up before the lady. It was the Storybrooke Mirror’s smearing story about Emma Swan.

“I assume you are referring to our town’s latest visitor?” he asked, knowing very well that’s who it was. Everyone in town was well aware that Regina had been behind the newspaper story, and that the Mills ladies were not fond of Emma Swan. “Is she _really_ Henry’s birthmother?”

Cora grinned at him. She should’ve known he would know. Even without his magic, Gold was able to figure out what everyone’s secrets were. “I am afraid so,” she said, her eyes meeting his. “And as you can imagine, with her record, she is not a good influence on my grandson. We need her gone.”

He nodded understandingly. “I see.”

“Can you do that for us?”

Now it was his turn to smile at her. It was a forced one, but it was still a smile. He arched his back, folded his arms and bowed slightly towards her, pretending as if she were a queen and he was her servant. “Of course, _your majesty_ ,” he said mockingly.


	4. Ideas And Opportunities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cora goes to the second person she needs for her plan; Regina has an idea on how to get rid of Emma Swan.

Chapter Four

Ideas And Opportunities 

* * *

  **Past**

Cora and Regina walked slowly through the dreary gardens of the dark palace, the valley of black trees, misty skies and roaring oceans decorating the scene behind them. They passed underneath the stone archways that outlined the walkways, and stepped by Henry Sr.’s apple tree, which Cora quickly recognized from the family’s estate. She glanced at it disgustingly - she had always _hated_ apples - as she once more fixated her eyes on their destination, which rested at a distance away from them, at the edge of the gardens.

She turned to her daughter, continuing the discussion that had been taking place previously. “And you are sure that this is what it takes to enact the dark curse, my love?” Cora eyed her daughter carefully as she spoke.

Only a few moments before, Regina had explained every detail she knew about the dark curse to her mother: that it would take everyone away to a new land, without magic, where everyone’s memories would be erased. The Dark One had given it to her, and only she could enact it. Regina had also told her what they needed to enact it: the heart of the thing most precious.

Some of this Cora already knew, she was, after-all, an exceptionally skilled sorceress and practicer of magic, though she had been unaware of the last part. _The heart of the thing most precious_. . . Cora Mills had wondered what it could be.

“Yes, mother. I am certain. Rumplestiltskin himself told me that is what it requires. A great sacrifice must be made for the curse to work.”

Cora chuckled as they continued to walk towards their destination: the stables. Regina had told her already where they were going. “And a horse is what you hold most dear?” she asked her daughter, the usual tint of judgement easily being heard in her voice.

Regina tried to ignore it.

“Not just any horse, mother. Rocinante,” Regina replied, turning to her mother, “He’s been one of the few sources of comfort during my life here. Riding was always my escape, mother, you know that.” She looked away sadly.

It was true, though. Rocinante was one of her only sources of happiness at the palace. The riches, and jewels, and clothing all meant nothing to her. Even after Leopold’s death, she found life at the palace to be dreary and dark. Nothing seemed to bring happiness or meaning to her life, except Rociante. He was one of the only things of value to her in life. Riding had always been her passion, and, even though she hadn’t been able to ride anymore upon becoming queen - Leopold had insisted it was unholy for a lady to be riding, and even after she became the Evil Queen, her time had been fully consumed with killing Snow White - she still kept Rocinante around as a reminder of the happier times of her life. Of a time in her life when she felt free. Of a time in her life when she _was_ free.

She loved him as if he were a human.

Cora acted as if she didn’t understand. “But, Regina - ”

“Didn’t you ever have a beloved pet in your life, mother?” Regina questioned her, though she already could guess the answer: no.

Cora shook her head. “Of course not. Animals are a frivolous distraction. I didn’t have the time, nor the want for an animal. They have no value to me, you see. The only thing of value to me is power. It’s the only valuable thing to me in this world,” she glanced at her daughter and added, “Well, and you, of course, my love.”

“Of course,” Regina repeated.

She turned her head away, looking ahead of them, at their destination, which they had now come upon. They stopped in front of a large, wooden building, covered in vines and surrounded by shrubs and hedges.

“We’re here,” Regina said solemnly. She looked at her mother. “He’s in here.”

* * *

 

**Present**

 After getting Gold to agree to help them get rid of Emma Swan, Cora had told him what she planned on doing: taking legal action. Emma Swan, even though she was Henry’s birthmother, had signed a closed adoption agreement, which meant neither parties were to have contact. She had given up any right to see Henry the day she signed it, and if Cora and Regina didn’t want her to see Henry, then she couldn’t. Cora wished to have a restraining order placed on Emma, which she would use to eventually nudge her out of town and insist she never return.

Cora loved using the law to her advantage. She would have readily done it herself, but she preferred to have someone else do her dirty work. Mr. Gold was just that person.

“Can you do it?” she asked him. “Yes, you know I can. However, I will need something more to go on. The contract was signed twelve years ago, and, so far, Emma Swan has appeared to be everything she has said she is. She has given the the courts no reason to deny her custody, and they may be sympathetic to that and allow her visiting rights.” He needed dirt that he could take to a judge and make their case stronger.

“I have just the person to do that,” Cora said with a grin on her face. Immediately, she turned away from the man and exited the shop. Getting into her sleek car, she drove straight to the docks where the man she was after lived.

* * *

 

 Regina watched her son run cheerily down the driveway of her home from her living room towards the yellow bug that was parked at the end of it. It’s owner, Ms. Emma Swan, was sitting happily in it as she rolled her window down to greet Henry. Regina could hear her utter a ‘hey kid’ from within the car.

They didn’t realize she was watching, nor did they even know she was home. She had gotten home and walked through the garage door just in time to find her son escaping through the front door. He was, despite what she had told him, still sneaking out of the house and seeing the Swan girl.

Watching this scene, Regina felt both emotions of sadness and anger. She hated Emma Swan for stealing her son, and yet she was saddened by how eager her son was to get away from her. All she had ever done was love him, and now he wanted nothing to do with her. He thought she was the Evil Queen, after all, and that ridiculous girl was the savior.

_How could she compete with that?_

She turned away from the window as the car sped away. She would’ve happily gone out and stopped her son from going with _that woman_ , but Regina realized that he find some other way of getting to Emma Swan. His determination was one that, despite their situation, caused Regina some, small sliver of joy, since it had been something he had learned from her.

But, she had had enough of Ms. Swan’s presence in her town. She was ready for her to leave. Quickly.

And then, an idea suddenly popped into Regina’s head. One that she thought was a very good one. She grinned sinisterly to herself, thinking, no _hoping_ , that her idea would finally drive Emma away from her son and Storybrooke.

Regina walked over to her purse and pulled out her phone. She dialed her mother’s number and tapped her foot while she waited for her to pick up.

“Come on, mother. Pick up,” she muttered to herself as she shook her head. She needed to run her idea by Cora. She always knew what to do.

There was no response. Her mother was evidently busy at the moment, and couldn’t pick up her phone. And since her mother hadn’t set up a voice-mail box - one aspect of technology Cora had never learned to understand - Regina couldn’t leave her a message either. She would just have to go through with this plan herself.

She looked down at her phone again. Scrolling through her contacts, she found the number she wanted and pressed the call button. It rang.

“ _Hello, this is Doctor Archibald Hopper’s office, who am I speaking to_?” replied the voice of Dr. Archie, Henry’s therapist, who also reported to Regina everything that happened during their sessions.

Regina had remembered mentioning to Emma Swan a day earlier that Henry was in therapy - back when she had uselessly been trying to prove to the girl that Henry was alright and being taken care of - and now she saw an opportunity. The unflinching, ever-annoying curiosity that Emma Swan clearly had would be determined to see Henry’s therapy files, something that was highly confidential.

Regina was going to have Doctor Hopper give her the files, without hesitation, and then place a phone call to the sheriff reporting that the files had been stolen. With her in jail, she could tell Henry what Emma had done and then, hopefully, he would never want to see her again.

  Henry did not like dishonest people.

“Dr. Hopper, this is Mayor Mills. I have a favor I need to ask of you…”

* * *

The thick, red pumps that Cora Mills wore clicked loudly against the grimy, dirty wooden deck as she slowly stepped onto one of the fishing boats that decorated the Storybrooke harbor. It was larger than the others, painted in a faded shade of white, with living quarters stored below deck for the boat’s owner. It had a large mast, and resembled more of a leisure boat than a fishing vessel.

But, thankfully, Cora was not there to fish. Instead, she was their to visit the owner of the boat: Captain Killian Jones.

When Regina and Cora had cast the curse, 28 years ago, they had decided to bring Captain Hook along with them. He had, after all, brought Cora to Regina in the first place, which had sparked their reunion, and he had been promised that he would go with them to the new land, something both the women actually found to be an easy task. However, the only drawback was that the man wanted revenge on Rumplestiltskin for what he had done to his wife. And, since Cora and Regina couldn’t have him killing the Dark One (they never really planned on letting that happen, anyways) they had decided to erase his memory, just like they had done with every other victim of the curse. Instead, he would be given the life of a dirty sailor, though also the official dirt-man of the Mills family. Any dirt they needed digging up, he was their guy.

For Cora, he was her guy in more ways than one.

“Killian, dear?” Cora called aloud, summoning the sailor as if he were her personal guard. She could hear him rummaging around from below.

At the sound of her voice, Killian strutted from beneath the decks of his ship, wiping his hands with a spattered piece of cloth. “Cora. . .” he looked at her curiously, “what brings you to my ship, mate?” Killian arched a thick, black eyebrow at her. She grinned at him.

“For what I am always here for.” She walked towards him and laid a hand gently on his chest, bringing her face close to his. Her eyes never left his as she moved in closer to him, their bodies almost touching. Their lips rubbed together as Killian looked at her.

He smiled at her seductively, displaying his bright white teeth. They stood that way, silent, for a moment. Then, within a second, he had picked her up and carried her below deck, his lips devouring into hers ravenously.

* * *

“Is that so Sheriff? Well I am certainly glad you caught her. I had always had my suspicions about Ms. Swan, and it saddens me to learn that I am right. Please, do make sure she stays locked up.” Regina’s lips widened into a smile as she stared at herself in the mirror, talking to Sheriff Graham on the phone.

Her plan had worked. As she had suspected, Emma Swan couldn’t help herself and had asked Dr. Hopper to see Henry’s files. After she had left, he had called the sheriff and reported them stolen, just like Regina had coached him to do. And, as if it were fate, Graham had found all the files out in the open in Ms. Swan’s hotel room, and had promptly arrested her.

Graham had called Regina to notify her of the arrest. Regina, for her part, couldn’t be happier.

“ _I will, madam mayor_.”

“Thanks again, Graham.” She clicked the phone shut, ending the call.

Her grin widened even further. 


	5. Hit and Miss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina's attempt to get rid of Emma doesn't quite work out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter doesn't have a flashback between Cora and Regina because of length purposes. The next chapter, however, will resume the flashback arc.

Chapter Six

Hit and Miss 

Cora Mills quietly unlocked the front door of the Mills residence and strolled inside the large house, closing the door behind her. She silently slipped off her overcoat and scarf as she walked into the foyer, folding them over her arm as she then quietly sat down the plastic grocery bag she had carried in with her. Regina was most likely asleep, and she didn’t want to disturb her.

She’d do just hang up her coat and scarf, put the groceries in the fridge, and then go upstairs to bed.

Cora smiled pleasingly as she thought about what she had accomplished that day. She had been able to (monetarily and sexually) convince Killian Jones to dig up dirt on Emma Swan, which, whatever he found, Gold would be able to use in the Mills’ court case to have a restraining order placed on the blonde. Though that was certainly a success, this was just part one. A prequel. Cora planned on doing much more to ensure the girl’s banishment from their lives.

Soon, Miss Swan would be out of Storybrooke, and would never ever return. The threat of her breaking the curse, of destroying the life Cora and Regina had built for themselves, would be eliminated.

Cora noticed a movement out of the corner of her eyes in the living room as she walked through the foyer, on her way to the kitchen. Detouring, she stepped into the bright-colored room, where she saw the image of Regina sitting happily on the couch, smiling at her with a glass of scotch in her hands. She looked like she had just won a battle as she took a sip from the drink.

“Mother,” she said, “You’re back.”

“Regina, dear,” Cora said, walking over to her daughter and sitting opposite her on the other cream-colored sofa, “I didn’t know you were still awake. I figured you’ve been asleep by now.” It was about 9:30.

The younger lady merely grinned and looked at her mother. “I’ve got great news, mother.” She swirled the glass in her hand and leaned in closer.

Cora arched an eyebrow. The only thing Regina ever got excited about these days were property taxes and budget surpluses. She wondered which one it was this time, and noted that if only her daughter knew what _she_ had done, her “great news” would seem meaningless.

“What is it, my love?”

Regina took a sip of her drink and once more continued to grin at Cora. Outside, she might’ve just looked happy, but on the inside she was ecstatic. Framing Emma for stealing Hopper’s files was a brilliant move on her part, and, hopefully, it would mean that she, now with a prison record in town, would leave immediately. Regina, at least, was going to do everything her power to make sure she would.

“I finally got rid of the Swan girl.”

Regina’s answer surprised Cora, though she was curious to hear more. “How, exactly?”

“I had her arrested,” Regina said through her smile, “She was caught with stolen files, and I had the sheriff arrest her for it. And now, I am going to call Granny’s Bed and Breakfast and remind them of their ‘no felons’ policy. She’ll be evicted and have no where to go, so she’ll be forced to leave town. There aren’t other open rooms for her to stay at - I checked.”

Cora looked at her daughter. Smart move on her part, though it didn’t ensure that the Swan girl would leave for good, and Cora had a feeling she would find some way to crawl back into town…

But, she smiled. “That’s wonderful, Regina.”

“Isn’t it?” Regina set her glass down on the coffee table and stood up. She walked towards the phone that sat on a nearby side table and, picking it up, she began to dial a number. She continued to grin brightly, happy at her early accomplishment. “Of course, she’s sitting in a cell right now, but I can have her things thrown out on the street-”

“Regina, it’s the middle of the night - perhaps you should wait till the morning to phone Granny’s. At any rate, she won’t be able to do anything about it at this hour, dear,” Cora offered, standing up as well and setting her coat and scarf down on one of the chairs.

“I suppose you’re right,” the girl agreed, nodding and accepting her mother’s words, as she set down the phone back on the table. “I’ll call first thing in the morning and have her things out by breakfast.” She smiled and looked at Cora.

“By the way, did you get the milk?”

* * *

 Regina’s smile couldn’t have been wider than it was then as she walked down the main street of Storybrooke, past all the open business, with Henry at her side. She was just as ecstatic as she had been last night when telling her mother her accomplishment.

Emma Swan _had_ been released from prison, but that didn’t dampen the mood. She would still be leaving Storybrooke, because, just as she had said she would, Regina had called Granny’s Bed and Breakfast promptly as soon as she had woken up, at exactly 6:00, and reminded them that Emma Swan could no longer remain a guest there because of her record. She had informed Granny that Emma Swan had to leave.

“But, Mayor Mills, the papers said her her arrest was back when she was a kiddo - we’ve all made mistakes when we were younger. Surely-” Granny had said when Regina called her, before being interrupted by the mayor.

“No, Ms. Lucas, Emma Swan was arrested just yesterday for theft from Dr. Hopper. She cannot stay,” she paused, letting her words take effect on the old woman. “If that’s a problem, then the city will be forced to fine your little bed and breakfast for each additional day she remains there. A fine of $250 each day.”

Eventually, when faced with the threat of being fined, Granny had given in and had informed the mayor that Emma would be out before the end of the hour.

It was now two hours later, and, as Regina Mills walked her son to school, her arm wrapped triumphantly around his shoulder, their hair flapping with the breeze, she was sure that the annoying blonde was most certainly long gone. At the very least, out of Storybrooke, and, in the same sense, out of Regina and her family’s lives.

“I want Emma to take me to school. . .” Henry complained, shifting away from his mother’s tight grasp. “Don’t you have some _mayor-y_ stuff to do?”

In her excitement, Regina had forgotten to tell him about Emma.

“Henry,” Regina said, trying to admonish him for his blunt words, though the excitement of finally being rid of Emma prevented her, “. . . Emma won’t be taking you to school anymore. I’m sorry to say, dear, but she left Storybrooke this morning and will not be coming back.”

“No she didn’t,” Henry said, as if it was obvious.

Regina stopped and turned towards him. As much as she hated Emma, she knew Henry didn’t, and it would be hard for him to accept that she had left Storybrooke. “Henry, I’m sorry, but she did leave. I know this will be hard, because you thought she loved you, but she left. She tried to steal your records and - ”

“No, she didn’t,” Henry said again, looking at something behind Regina. “Emma didn’t leave. . . If she left, then why is her car parked right over there?”

Regina’s face scrunched as she turned around to see Emma’s bright, yellow bug parked nicely against the sidewalk just a few feet away from them. She barely had time to focus on it before she noticed something moving towards her out of the corner of her eyes. A blonde in a red jacket and jeans was walking straight for Regina and her son. It was _Emma Swan_.

Regina didn’t know what to do. She was sure that her plan had worked, so why in the _hell_ was that woman still here?

The blonde stopped right in front of them. “I can take it from here, Regina,” she said to Regina who stood there, stunned. A devious smile was on Emma’s face, like she had known what Regina had done to her. “Oh,” she added, “And tell Sheriff Graham that I'm more than happy to accept his offer as Deputy Sheriff of Storybrooke - I’ll be needing a job since I’ll be staying here for awhile.”

Regina didn’t respond.

“Ready to go to school, kid?” Emma asked, looking at Henry.

“Yeah,” he said, smiling broadly at the blonde. Leaving his mother’s side he went to Emma’s. The two walked away, happy and cheery, from Regina and down the side-walk, towards Henry’s school. Emma’s arm was wrapped around Henry’s just like Regina’s had been.

And Regina watched them, frozen and horrified, unable to move from her stance. She couldn’t believe what had just happened. . .

* * *

 Within seconds of watching Emma and Henry leave her, Regina had raced down the street, in the opposite direction, digging her purse for her phone. Finding it, she furiously dialed one of her the first numbers on her ‘recent calls’ list. _Sheriff Graham_.

“Regina, what can I do for you. Are we meeting tonight?” asked Sheriff Graham, answering her call.

“What the hell is wrong with you,” Regina demanded as she stormed along the sidewalk, practically yelling into the phone. She completely ignored his question. “Letting Emma Swan go was bad enough, for one, but then you _offer her a job_? What is wrong with you?”

“Regina - ”

 ‘Why would you do that? You know I want her out of this town! Now she has yet another reason to stay.” She couldn’t understand why he had done what he did.

“She’s a good investigator, and we need someone with her experience at the station. We’re behind here, you know,” Graham tried to explain, though he quickly realized it was futile. Regina was angry and no amount of explanation would satisfy her rage. She was mad.

“Save it. I don’t care what excuses you have to come up with, but you will not hire her. Tell her the offer is taken back and that you no longer need a deputy.”

Graham sighed on the other side of the phone. “I’m sorry, Regina, but I can’t. We need a deputy down here, and she’s the best person I’ve come across for the job so far. I have to be objective here.”

Regina stopped in her tracks. “What?” It was the first time he had ever refused one of her wishes. He _never_ said no to her.

And then it hit her. She had a feeling she realized what was going on. “Are you sleeping with her? Is that what this is, Graham. You’re in each others pants, now? That's why you offered her the job? So you could have a quickie at your disposal whenever you wanted it! ”

"Regina! No, that’s not what this is about, I-”

“Stop,” she interrupted him, “We’ll discuss this later.” Regina clicked her phone shut, without waiting for his response, as she came upon her destination: Granny’s Bed and Breakfast.

* * *

“Sorry, but I’m just about to head over to the diner,” Granny said, not bothering to look up from her records book at the person who had just entered her bed and breakfast. “But I’ll be-”

“I thought I told you to evict Emma Swan,” Regina snarled as she furiously stormed over to the woman, slamming open the front door and marching across the small room and towards the front desk, where Granny sat, studiously looking over some records. “$250 every additional day, Ms. Lucas. That’s how much you are being fined, I thought I made that clear.”

Granny looked up immediately, her eyes wide and her completion pale at the rage that had suddenly entered her establishment. The rage of mayor mills was in full fury in her lobby.

“I-I did evict her, madame mayor,” she quivered, setting down her pencil, “Just after you called I went up to her room and had her collect her things. She left.”

“Then why is she still in town? Yours is the only hotel in Storybrooke with available rooms, so where could she be staying?” the Regina demanded.

“I believe she is staying with Miss Blanchard, madam mayor,” Granny said, a look of fear painted across her face with the woman’s harsh tone, “As I was moving her out, Miss Blanchard arrived and offered to let Miss Swan live with her. She agreed, and I believe they left for her apartment.”

Regina’s face fell somber, as she realized what the woman was saying. It was fitting really. . . Regina’s two sworn enemies now living together. In a way, that made things simpler, and, in a way, it didn’t.

_She’d just have to get rid of them both._

The mayor turned around promptly and headed for the door.

“Uh, ma’am,” Granny whimpered from behind, “Are you going to fine us for today?”  

Regina stopped, turned around, and looked at the woman. “No,” she said quietly, “Not today, at least.”


	6. Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina confronts Mary Margaret. Cora tells her daughter the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is rather long.

Chapter Six 

Truth 

* * *

 

**Past**

Regina swept quickly into the dark, dim stable, where her horse was resting solemnly. A grim look was painted across her face. . . a look she had, overtime, had frequently. She was hoping to be done with this quickly; she wanted to get this over with. Regina certainly wouldn’t feel any joy or happiness in taking the heart from her horse. In a way, she felt guilty for what she was about to do. . . killing the only thing that had ever provided her happiness.

A thing so innocent, so precious, and she was now about to crush it’s heart.

She walked up to the creature, which was laying on the ground, in deep sleep. A tear drizzled down her face as she knelt down beside it and with one hand pet it’s neck softly and gently, just light enough so as to not disturb it. She swept her other hand broadly over the entirety of the creature’s body, casting a blue, glossy force-field around the animal, freezing it in it’s place.

“At least it won’t have to feel any pain. . .” Regina said, comfortingly and mainly to herself. She felt guilty for what she was about to do.

“It’s for the best, Regina,” Cora reassured from behind her daughter, looking down at the girl. “Your horse must die for you to finally be able to make Snow White, Prince Charming, and the rest of their kind pay for their crimes. All magic magic comes with a price, my love.” Cora spoke the words slowly, fully aware that Regina would recognize the words of Rumplestiltskin.

Regina sniffed. “I know,” she said, wiping away her tear, “He was my only source of happiness, and now his death will ensure it.” She leaned in closer to the animal, and kissed it’s neck gently. “Thank you, and Goodbye Rocinante.”

And with that, she plunged her arm into his chest, rapidly pulling out it’s heart within an instant. With her other hand, she reached for a velvet pouch that she was carrying at her side. She slipped the beating object inside it.

“Let’s go.”

* * *

 

**Present**

The bell to Granny’s Diner ringed cheerfully as the entrance door flew open and in traipsed the mayor, a look of anger and fury decorating her beautiful face. Her hair bobbed as she walked through, and her coat and purse flapped at her side, catching the eye of almost everyone in the dinner. That is, except for one, dedicated reader who was sitting in the back of the diner, her back facing the front door.

Regina shot a glare to a pale Ruby, who watched her go by, as she marched to the person in the back of the room.

“What do you think your doing, Ms. Blanchard?” Regina said suddenly as she approached from behind, frightening the short-haired Mary Margaret Blanchard that sat in the booth at Granny’s Diner, dutifully reading a copy of _Pride and Prejudice_ and munching on a sandwich. The girl shot up in her seat.

“Mayor Mills!” Mary Margaret shrieked, startled by the brunette, “I didn’t see you there. W-what do you mean?” the girl looked up confused at the mayor, who slid into the seat across from her. “I believe I’m reading!” she laughed, her eyes following the woman and her words trying to lighten the heavy atmosphere that had suddenly showed up between them.

Regina merely scowled back at the girl, instantly and easily communicating her displeasure. “I’m not here for jokes, Ms. Blanchard,” she snarled, the words practically dripping from her tongue, “I want to know why you’re now housing criminals in your residence. Should the sheriff’s department be transferring it’s inmates to your doorstep from now on?”

The girl furrowed her brows.“Are you talking about Emma? Emma isn’t a criminal - that was back when she was a kid.” Mary Margaret attempted, though to now avail. She knew it wouldn’t work with the mayor.

And she was right. Regina shook her head and looked at the girl flatly. “That may be the lie she’s telling you now, but are you aware that she was arrested just last night?”

“Ah, yes, she told me about that,” Mary Margaret said bluntly, setting her book down beside her and taking a sip of some water. “Emma told me that someone framed her for stealing. She made some implications as to-”

“No one framed her,” Regina said, interrupting her, “and there’s much more to the story than that, however, I’m afraid the information is confidential. But all you need to know, Ms. Blanchard, is that you now have a liar and a criminal living at your residence.” The mayor narrowed her eyes.

“I’m most sure that’s not true, madam mayor. Besides, I trust Emma.”

“Why?” Regina snapped in disgust. She could hardly see how anyone would trust that girl but, then again, she shouldn’t have been surprised. Snow White was always naive and overly trusting of others. “She’s been a here for a week.”

“And during that time I’ve gotten to know her - I don’t know, I guess I just have a good feeling about her,” Mary Margaret explained, though she, again, knew that the mayor would not settle with her answer. Mary Margaret was starting to believe what Emma had said about Regina.

That _she_ had framed her.

“Well, that may be, Ms. Blanchard, but I’m afraid I have a feeling of my own,” Regina said sharply, like a sword, practically mocking the girl’s words, “And it’s that I’m not sure I’m comfortable with my child, or for that matter anyone else’s child, being taught by someone who has criminals living in her house. Your a threat to the minors in this community.” Regina rose out of her seat and prepared to leave, before Mary Margaret grabbed her desperately by the arm.

“Madame Mills,” Mary Margaret tried to argue, knowing full well what Regina was implying with her, “Please. I love my job, and I - ” she tried, before Regina quickly shot her down.

“No,” she growled, jerking her hand away from the girl’s grasp, “Listen, Ms. Blanchard, I’ll make this perfectly simple and easy for you: kick Emma Swan out, and your job at the school will be in no danger whatsoever.”

Mary Margaret shook her head at the woman, unable to believe what was happening. “She told me you didn’t like her. She told me you framed her - why do you hate her so much?”

“That’s none of your concern,” Regina shot back, “Now, do we have a deal?”

Mary Margaret thought for a moment, before looking back at the mayor. “No, we don’t. Threaten my job all you want, Mayor Mills, but making this deal with you isn’t the right thing to do. I trust Emma. She’s staying, and you better get over it.”

* * *

 Regina Mills spent the entire day angry and mad that her plan hadn’t worked, and that Emma Swan was still in town. With her son. And, not only that, but now had a job, and also had a place to live. She was worse off than she had been before.

“What do you mean you don’t know what to do,” Regina sneered sinisterly into the phone she held up to her ear. On the other line was her chief-henchmen, none-other-than Storybrooke Daily Mirror editor Sidney Glass. “There has to be something.”

“ _I don’t -_ ”

“Find a way!” she practically screamed, clicking the phone off and slamming it onto her desk (surprisingly, it didn’t break). She planted her face into her palms and let out a shaky, stuttering sigh. The noise practically filled the empty room.

“Something wrong, my child?” Cora asked, standing in the doorway of the room with a look of concern hanging from her aged face. Her her arms were crossed, and her brown locks of hair were swept of her shoulder.

The woman’s bright red lips were curled into a frown. Regina didn’t respond, her face still finding respite in her palms.

“Regina?” the elder lady repeated, taking a step into the room. The noise echoed.

“Emma Swan is still in Storybrooke,” the younger lady finally admitted, through tightly gritted teeth. Her eyes met Cora’s. They were ones filled with rage, with anger. . . and with sadness. “And, not only that, but she now has a job.”

“How?” Cora asked, feigning surprise. “I thought you had her arrested?”

Truthfully, Cora had known Emma was still in Storybrooke. Emma was the savior, destined to be the one to break their curse, and Cora knew that a small attempt by Regina to have her arrested wouldn’t stop her. They would need to take more serious action to stop this girl. But, Regina didn’t know that, because she had drank the potion.

“She managed to trick Graham to let her go and give her a job at the station,” Regina uttered, disgusted and angry, though she muttered, almost to herself, “I’m sure they’re sleeping together. That’s all that motivates him.”

Cora chose to remain silent, seeing her daughter was not done.

“I’ve got to do something to stop this- maybe I can have them both fired. Though that probably wont get rid of her. She’s like a leech. . . she won’t go away. I’ll never be rid of her. . .” Regina flew her hands up into the air and smashed them into the desk, jarring everything atop the table.

The elder lady walked into the room and closed the door behind her. She stepped across the center of the office and up to the edge of Regina’s desk. As much as Cora wanted to keep her daughter from knowing the truth - protecting the life they had built together - she realized that now she had to tell her. She had to tell her for the sake of her daughter, and for the sake of protecting their curse.

“Maybe I can have Sydney find something else - I know he said he didn’t find anything else, but if I pressed him hard enough, I’m sure - ” Regina began to mutter to herself madly, almost not realizing her mother was even there.

“Regina.”

“I’m sure he can do - ”

“ _Regina_ ,” Cora said, this time more sternly, catching her daughter’s attention. “We need to talk.”

Regina shook her head nervously and her gaze off to somewhere beyond in the distance. “No, I don’t have time for more issues, mother. This Swan-girl problem is occupying all of my attention right now. Whatever it is, I’ll let you take care of it.” She looked to her desk and started rummaging through some papers, siphoning through them furiously.

“ _No_ ,” Cora spoke, though very softly, very motherly, which she knew would quickly get her daughter’s attention, and it did, “I have to tell you something you need to know, my dear. It’s about the Swan-girl.”

“Mother,” she asked, “What is it?”

Cora sighed. “I should’ve told you this when she first came to town - do you remember when you first adopted Henry?”

“Yes, I do,” Regina replied, arching an eyebrow, and looking at Cora with curiosity, “Rumplestiltskin helped us adopt him from that adoption agency in Massachusetts. . . I don’t remember the name. . . why?”

“Because, when you first adopted him, you had a private investigator do a background check on the birth mother - on Emma Swan - and it turned something up: a newspaper article from a local paper in Maine.” Cora looked at her daughter, though Regina didn’t seem to be catching on.

“I don’t understand, mother,” Regina shook her head and furrowed her brows, “Emma Swan was born in Massachusetts. Why would a Maine newspaper have an article on her?”

Cora was about to say something, before deciding not to. Instead, she reached into her purse and pulled out a large, manilla folder which had been protruding from it prominently. Without hesitance, the elder lady handed the folder to her daughter.

“It’s better that you just read it instead - you’ll understand.”

Regina reached for the folder, looking at her mother uneasily. The folder was heavy, clearly stuffed with a great deal of papers, and had the words “Henry - Birthmother” written in bright blue ink across it. At the top of the folder, in the upper left side, was written the date: _1983_. Regina greatly wonder what the folder contained, her curiosity growing with each second. _It must’ve been something serious._

With folded arms, and a subtle look, Cora awaited her daughter’s reaction. She wasn’t sure how Regina would take the news, the her adopted son’s birthmother was the child of her sworn enemy and also the person destined to destroy her curse. It wouldn’t be the same way she had taken it the first time they had found out, back in. Regina had been upset, for sure, but now things were different now. _Now she had Henry_.

Regina opened the file and looked at the first page. At the top of the stack laid a worn, old piece of thin paper. It was a newspaper article, for the _Local Maine Daily_  . It was the front page. She scanned over the various articles displayed on the page - something about the weather and gas prices ( _small news day, apparently_ , Regina thought to herself). But then her eyes hit it: at the very bottom of the page was a small, two-paragraph long article. Above it was, in bold, the words: _Abandoned Baby Found At The Edge of Highway_.

“What the?” she whispered to herself softly, though enough for Cora to hear her words.

“Keep reading.”

Her eye fell further down the page as she read the words that were printed on the page. She took in the words: _An abandoned baby girl was found by young boy on side of the highway, near Martin’s Gas Station. The boy carried the baby to the station, where police were then called. . .the baby is suspected to be less than a few hours old. . . the only possession found with the baby was was a white, laced blanket with the name ‘Emma’ threaded on it. . . a local orphanage has agreed to take the child._

“What. . .what does this mean? Emma was an orphan, I knew that already, I - ”

“Look at the date of the paper.”

“ _October 22, 1983_ ,“ Regina’s eyes widened and her expression grew solemn, “The day we got here. She was born that day. . .” She looked up at her mother, suddenly realizing what the implication meant, “ _Emma was found the day we got here. Emma is -_ ” her words ceased as, suddenly, the memory of when she had first adopted Henry flashed across her mind, and she remembered everything she had taken the potion to forget: Emma was the savior; Emma, Henry’s mother, was the one who was going to break her curse; Emma would be the one to stop her. “I remember now,” she shuddered, “I remember everything now - I took a potion to forget.”

She pushed back her chair and stood up.

Cora nodded. “I should’ve told you when Emma first came to town, but I wanted to spare you.”

“How did you find this,” Regina asked, pointing to the folder, “I burned the records I found.”

“I had Gold dig them up. He has ways - he was the one who found it.”

Regina began to pace the room, shaking her head once more. “This means. . . mother, is it too late? - We can’t let her break our curse - mother, we have to stop her. We have to do something about her.”

Cora smiled and grabbed her daughter’s shoulder reassuringly. “Don’t worry, my love. I have just the plan on how we can _permanently_ get rid of Emma Swan. No more games or small wins. We need something that will effectively end this problem, and I have the solution.”

“What? What is it?”

Cora looked into her daughter’s eyes. “We’re going to frame Emma Swan for murder.”


	7. Setting The Scene

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Regina and Cora set their plan into motion.

Chapter Seven

Setting The Scene 

* * *

  **Past**

“It didn’t work. . .” Regina mumbled as she stood over the wide, gaping fire, able to feel the heat of the flames gently on her cool skin. “The spell didn’t work.” Her eyes floated over to her mother, who stood calmly and cooly beside her, an eyebrow arched and a look of ponder etched out on her face. Clearly, she was thinking about something. Regina could tell.

With that, the elder lady, ever graceful, knelt down, and, with the twitch of her hand, silenced the raging flames. Leaning forward only a bit, she reached into the pitch of ash, and took some of it between her fingers. She held it up to her finely pointed nose, and took a whiff. “The curse would’ve worked, my dear. It’s the ingredients - something wasn’t right, but I can’t tell what it is.”

“I followed the recipe and instructions precisely - ”

“Then you were misinformed,” Cora interrupted, throwing the burnt crumbles back into the pit and standing up off the ground. She brushed together her gloved hands, wiping away the residue. “Whoever told you - ”

“ _Rumplestiltskin_ ,” Regina growled between gritted teeth, shaking her head angrily, “That little imp. What are we supposed to do now? How are we going to get my revenge without the dark curse, mother?”

“Oh, worry not, Regina. This isn’t the end. All we have to do is talk to the man,” Cora said, with a grin, “I’m sure we’ll be able to convince him to tell us what we need to do, once he realizes that the two of us have reunited.”

“That’s going to be impossible,” Regina explained, “He’s currently being held up in the dungeon of Prince Charming and Snow White’s castle, locked behind impenetrable bars. It’s not like we can just poof ourselves down there; our magic won’t work there.”

“Regina,” Cora reminded, “You forget that I have a special spell at my disposal: the cloaking spell” she twirled her hand and, within a flash, both of them were immediately clouded in smoke, which disappeared to reveal they had turned into completely different people: royal palace guards, dressed in silver chain mail and armor. “Now, my dear, shall we go talk to our little friend?”

* * *

Water drizzled somewhere in the background as Cora and Regina, disguised as guards, made their way along the dark, torch-lit underground dungeon of Snow White and Charming’s castle. It wasn’t really a dungeon, actually - more-like a cave underneath the castle that housed one cell.

Rumplestiltskin’s cell. The cell enchanted with _magic_.

They could hear his voice as they turned another corner, coming closer and closer to where he was. “Oooh, and what do we have here?” he asked aloud, “I sense two very special people coming, mister jailor!” the creature cried aloud to the man guarding his cell.

“No one’s coming to see you anytime soon, you beast,” snarled the grouchy guard who was watching his cell. “And stop with the laughing!”

Just as the words had left his mouth, Cora and Regina rounded another corner and came into view of Rumplestiltskin and the man. Cora was clutching a tray of food in her hand. “We’re here to feed the prisoner,” she said, humbly, though stern enough to not be suspicious. “You’re relieved of your duties for the night - we’ll take the next watch.”

“Under whose authority? I’m supposed to guard him for the night.”

“Prince Charming and Snow White’s orders,” Regina spoke.

Hesitantly, the guard agreed, mumbling a few words as he handed them the keys to the cell and marched off, looking very much as if he was about to go get some sleep. His eyes were drooping heavily, and he wore thick bags under his eyes. All the while, Rumplestiltskin had been laughing ferociously, despite the jailor’s order. “Good luck with this one - he’s bloody crazy,” he said as he walked away.

“Oh, I think we’ll be able to handle him.”

Waiting while they heard the sound of the jailor’s footsteps grow smaller and smaller, until finally stopping altogether, Cora and Regina then turned and looked at the cell and the man inside of it. Without any movement, the cloud of magic resumed once more, and their disguises faded away, revealing who they really were.

“Hello, Rumplestiltskin.”

* * *

**Present**

All of Storybrooke was rattled by the death of their sheriff, Graham Humbert, even the residents who had barely known the man. His lifeless body had been discovered passed out atop a pile of papers across his desk at the station by a fellow police officer, a pool of blood collecting at the edge of his mouth and dripping onto a police report that rested under his head. Dr. Whale, who, though being the town’s chief doctor, also doubled as a coroner, examined Graham’s body, and discovered there to be no wounds of any kind and no signs of poison. The only injuries inside that he had sustained were ones similar to that of having heart failure - which is what Whale ruled his death as.

Cora and Regina had been careful to make the whole scene look perfect, leaving no trace of evidence behind that would lead to them. First, Regina had lured the man to her house, where they met weekly for a lover’s rendezvous in the night. Graham was glad to see her, seeing as how they had left things, and had been holy surprised when she crushed his heart in front of him. Regina had been reluctant, of course, about killing her former lover (once he had hired Emma Swan, she’d decided things were over between them). It wasn’t like she enjoyed killing people, but, she realized that this is what she’d have to do to get rid of Emma. She injected a cerium into his body that could only be found if one were looking very, very closely - which was step one of their plan to frame Emma.

Meanwhile, Cora had had Killian break into Mary Margaret and Emma’s loft (they were out) and carefully place evidence around the apartment that the murder had happened there: he hid two, empty needles at the bottom of one of the kitchen draws, needles which had traces of Graham’s skin and also the cerium in it; he placed a cup with Graham’s fingerprints on it in the trash can (the trash service of Storybooke had come that day, so it would be at least a week till they came back again); he also left scuff marks on the floor to make it look like a body had been dragged across it, and other small pieces of evidence that, when added together, create a much larger picture. Before he left, he also fabricated the most crucial piece of evidence of all: he doctored the security camera to the building, using old footage of Graham going inside at night, to make it look like he’d been there.

Cora, for her part, had also been busy that night. She went out to dinner at a public restaurant, to give herself an alibi, before returning back to the house to help Regina transport the body to the police station. After doing that, she blackmailed two witnesses who could testify that they had seen Graham enter the apartment building shortly before his death.

“Don’t worry, my child,” Cora had told her daughter after it was all done, “Everything will be alright. Emma Swan will be arrested for murder, and we will be free of her. Life will return back to the way it was.”

“I know,” Regina had admitted, but, despite knowing that her mother, was, indeed right, she still couldn’t help but feel sorry about what she had done. She hadn’t killed in a very long time, and Graham, despite the way she had treated him, had been someone very close to her. But, she realized it was worth it in the long run.

* * *

Graham’s death was a shocker to everyone. Not only did it cause a feeling of danger and insecurity amongst the residents, but the knowledge that he had died so suddenly and mysteriously put everyone on edge. Especially, apparently, Emma Swan.

Regina hadn’t seen the woman for a couple of days since his death, but she’d heard, through Henry, that Emma was having a rough time accepting it. _It only confirmed to Regina that Emma and Graham had been sleeping together_.

Wanting to see for herself the woman’s misery, Regina decided to pay a visit to the police station, where Henry had said Emma was spending most of her time since his death - ‘to be closer to him,’ he’d said. As much as she hated the girl, deep, somewhere inside, Regina felt a tinge of sympathy for her. She, too, knew what it was like to lose someone you love. However she’d never admit it.

* * *

Regina’s black, leather purse swooped back and forth from her arm as she strutted into the police station, an queen-like figure in the rather informal surroundings. A bight, dark red smile was drawn across her face as she did so. _She wanted Miss Swan to see her happiness_.

She walked into find Graham’s desk empty - his things packed, in a dark, brown-colored cardboard box and sitting on one of the other desks in the room, across which was sharpie in “Graham’s Stuff”. Beside the desk was standing the blonde girl herself, Emma Swan, with her annoying red jacket and tight jeans. At her side was another box, from which the lady was taking things out and putting onto the late Graham’s desk.

Regina paused a moment before stepping into the room - the girl not having noticed her -waiting to see what she was doing. To her horror, she saw the girl place a brightly-colored picture on the desk. _It was of Henry_.

“Excuse me?” Regina snarled as she stormed into the room, a look of angry confusion on her face, “What’s going on here? What have you done with the Sheriff’s possessions.”

Emma barely turned to look at the woman, her eyes dead of life as she glared at her. “I’m not in the mood to play this game, today, Regina. Please just leave me alone.”

Regina went up to the desk and grabbed the picture. “I’m not sure what you’re referring to, Ms. Swan - now what do you think you’re doing? Just because the sheriff died, doesn’t mean you get a new desk.”

The other woman rolled her eyes and reached into her pocket. She pulled out the sheriff’s badge and showed it to Regina. “I’m the new sheriff now. It’s been almost a week since he’s been gone. We need a new sheriff, and, since I was second in command, the job’s going to me.”

“I don’t think so. That’s not how this works, Ms. Swan. I’m the mayor of this town - I’m the one who gets to select the new sheriff. You can’t just appoint yourself.”

“I’m the one Graham selected to work here. It should be me who takes over.”

“Oh, no, Miss Swan. You’ve been working at this station for a little over a week. You are not qualified for this job and I have no intentions of allowing you to become the next sheriff. I’ll be picking someone else.” With that, Regina took one look at the photo she held in her hand of Henry, and, with sorrowful eyes, set it back down on the table and looked up at Emma again. “Goodbye, Miss Swan.”

* * *

“I want a further investigation conducted into Sheriff Graham’s death,” Regina spoke bluntly to the detectives standing before her in her office, with looks of confusion playing across their faces. Her dark eyes stared at them plainly and her arms were folded atop her desk.

Only a few nights before, she had been sitting there, plotting with her mother, on how to frame Emma Swan for murder.

“But Mayor Mills, Dr. Whale already concluded that the sheriff died of heart failure - wouldn’t it just be a further waste of department resources to pursue a fruitless investigation.”

Her eyebrows sunk into an angry look of displeasure. _If only he had known what happened to the last person who hadn’t listened to her order_. However, the look faded away as a gentle smile spread itself across her face. “I’ll tell you, detective, what’s a waste of department resources: an officer of the law who refuses to obey his boss’s boss and thus not live-up-to the function of his job,” she paused slightly, and looked at the two of them, “Don’t you think?”

The man was silent. Both of them were.

“Well said, my dear,” suddenly voiced a soothing, but firm voice from behind the detectives, “I think you two know what you need to do.” They turned to see Cora Mills smiling at them, her arms crossed across her dark black suit.

“ _Madam_ Mills,” the men said, “We didn’t see you there, uh- ”

Cora took a step forward, raising her hand up and cutting them off. “You two knew the late sheriff, didn’t you?”

“Why, yes, of course, we knew him,” they answered, their palms and forehead visibly dampening with sweat as they could feel the heavy stares of both Mills women weighing upon them. _One_ was bad enough, as it was, but  _Two_ was terrible.

“And during the time you knew him, did he show any signs of having health problems?”

“Well no, no-”

“And did he have a history of health issues?”

“No, uh-”

“Then how do you suppose a perfectly healthy man could just die of a sudden heart attack?” The men didn’t reply, instead thinking to themselves. “A real mystery, I’d say. You see, that’s why my daughter wants you to further look into this. In fact, you two should’ve _known_ to pursue this investigation, since, I trust, you both are still qualified for this job?”

“Yes, but - ”

“Splendid, then there should be no issue.”

And with that, the men turned and looked back at the mayor. With a raised eyebrow, she shot them a smug smile, waiting for them to take their next move. They nodded at her. “We’ll look into it.”

“Good,” she said, as they walked past Cora and left the building. The older woman turned to her daughter.

“You don’t think that was too soon?” Regina asked her, “We practically told them what we did.”

“They won’t suspect us,” she replied, shaking her head slightly, “We have no reason to kill Graham. Besides, we had to do something, soon. Knowing Emma Swan’s determination, she would’ve discovered what you told her about selecting the new sheriff wasn’t true, and would’ve already started the process of arranging an election. We had a limited amount of time as it was.”

Regina remained silent, however, with the slight nod of her head, showed her agreement. She knew her mother was right. Cora Mills always had a way of knowing just how and when to manipulate others at the most perfectly-timed moment, and it always seemed like she was right.

* * *

Emma Swan quietly sipped her steaming cup of coffee, the taste dancing on her tongue sharply, as she looked up at the woman staring at her with concerned eyes from the kitchen of the loft “What?”

“You know what,” Mary Margaret replied, tilting her head just a bit as she stirred her own cup of coffee, “Do you really think that’s a good idea? Refusing to leave town is one thing, but now you’re trying to hold an election to spite her? The mayor is a very, very powerful woman, Emma. . .”

“And I realize that, but something has to be done. I saw the hold she had on Graham, and I can’t let her put another one of her puppets in the police station. It wasn’t two days ago that she flat out lied to me about how the new sheriff get’s selected - She’s corrupt, and I want to do something about it.”

As she finished speaking, there was a loud knocking at the front door, taking their attention away from the conversation. “Coming!” Mary Margaret called as she fluttered over to the door. She opened it with haste, revealing two, burly men in suits with stern faces.

“Is Emma Swan here?” they asked, forcing their way inside and past Mary Margaret.

“Um, why, yes, but - ” the lady offered as they pushed her over and into a wall.

“Yes, I’m here. What do you want?” Emma said, standing up from her seat at the table.

“Emma Swan,” they replied immediately walking over to her and showing their badges, “You are under arrest for the murder of Sheriff Graham Humbert.” They placed their strong hands on her, flipped her around, and popped handcuffs onto her wrists before she had even realized it.

“What? But I - ”

“You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You also have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you.”


	8. Unforeseen Surprises

Chapter Eight

Unforeseen Surprises

* * *

 

**Past**

“Ah haha! I knew it! Very clever tricking that guard with a cloaking spell, hehe,” Rumplestiltskin’s voice cackled, as he practically fell back in laughter against the cold, stone floor of his cell.

Regina rose a finely penciled eyebrow as her eyes drifted over to her mother, “He’s certainly gone mad, hasn’t he?” she said.

“Indeed, he has. But it’s nothing I can’t handle - I’ve dealt with the madness before.” Cora took a step forward closer to his cell. “Rumplestiltskin,” she said more firmly, in a tone she had used many, many times when she’d first met him. Back when she was only a miller’s daughter. . .

He shot forward against her, like a lunatic, his body crashing into the door of his cell and his slimy claws wrapping around the bars. “Cora” he oozed, his voice sliding out like butter, “Hello again. If I recall, the last time we were opposite each other, you were trying to kill me!”

“And you me,” she made sure to add, “It was a rather intense battle, wasn’t it, my dear?”

“Hehe! Yes, But in the end I won! Me! Me!” he clapped his fingers together and laughed once more. “Well, well enough chatter. What brings your here, dearies? As you can imagine, I don’t get much visitors down here, so you surely want something.”

“Yes, we do,” Cora replied.

“The Dark Curse,” Regina said, speaking up and interrupting the little interaction that had been taking place between Cora and Rumplestiltskin, “It didn’t work. You lied to me, Dark One.”

“I did no such thing!” He shot a finger pointedly up into the air as his beady eyes looked directly at her, gleaming in the low glow of the dim torches of the dungeon. “You just didn’t cast it right. Tell me now, dearie, whose heart did you use to do the dirty deed? ”

“I used the heart of my most valuable and precious horse, my childhood steed, Roccinante.” There was an air of ignorance in her voice, though one overcast with a shadow of sadness.

“Oh dearie! It’s going to take something much more important than a horse’s heart to cast the curse to beat all other curses! A heart much more special and precious.”

Regina was speechless. She hadn’t the slightest clue whose heart to use. . .

Cora, meanwhile, who had been silent, knew exactly whose heart it was. Daniel was dead, Roccinante was dead, and the man who Regina had once told her she’d been infatuated with - Robin Hood was it? - was, by now, surely a passing memory. That left only two people it could possibly be: herself, and Regina’s father, Henry. Cora most certainly wasn’t going to sacrifice her own heart for it, and, besides, she didn’t mind admitting that Regina probably loved Henry more than herself. The man coddled her and had always babied her as a girl, and, while Cora had been in Wonderland, she was sure that the same thing had happened while Regina was the queen. Cora was certain that his heart is the one that would do the trick.

Henry’s heart would cast the curse.

Cora took a step forward and placed a hand gently on Regina’s shoulder, getting her attention, and she leaned in and whispered into her ear, “Your father.”

Regina’s face fell blank, for a moment, the shock of Cora’s words hitting her sharply, before she momentarily closed her eyes and a small tear escaped from underneath her eyelid and drizzled down her soft cheek, finding rest at the edge of her face. She knew her mother was right. It was true, of course, Regina now realized. For as bad as she treated her father, she loved him more than anything in this world, and, even though he may not have always protected her or defended her, he was always there for her. From her young days as a girl at the family’s estate, to her marriage to Leopold, to now, as the Evil Queen of the whole realm, he’d been there with her. Like Roccinante, he was one of the last things she had of a time when she’d been happy.

She may have wanted to please her mother as best as she could, and did love her to an extent, but her father was the one person she loved most of all.

“Your father, my dear, is the heart you must use,” Cora reminded her, ignoring the satisfied gaze of Rumplestiltskin, who appeared to have both of his eyes directed at Regina, “His heart is the key to getting your revenge. The key to your happiness.”

“She’s right, dearie. At least about the heart - I can tell just by the look on your face.”

Regina looked up at both of them. All of her life, she’d had one of them whispering commands and ideas into her ears, ones that had always been dark, and had never, ever, turned out well for anyone else. And now, in this very moment, they were both telling her something and, deep inside, she knew what they were saying was bad.

She just saw no other way.

* * *

**Present**

Regina waited a few days after Emma Swan had been arrested, booked, and processed before she visited the girl at the police department, where she now waited in a cell until an officer from Augusta could come down and transport her to their prison, which was the closest one nearby, since Storybrooke didn't have an official prison. She had to admit that, as she strolled easily and unconcernedly into the station, it was a satisfying feeling to think that only a few days before, Miss Swan had been attempting to become Storybrooke’s next sheriff, but now she rested behind bars a few feet away, a prisoner arrested for murder.

The mayor did little to hide her excitement, displaying a broad smiled as she stepped up to the cellblock that Emma slept in. The girl was laid back against the thin mattress in the cell, her hair frazzled, her clothes wrinkled and dirty, and a look of hopelessness on her dreary face.

Regina loved it. “Miss Swan?” She tapped on the bars lightly with the knuckle of her gloved hand, “Are you awake?”

“Go away, Regina.” Emma didn’t bother to get up from her position, her voice sounding null and void of life. Hopeless.

“Oh, my dear Miss Swan, what ever is the matter? Has prison life gotten you down?” She shot the girl a devious grin, even though she knew Emma wouldn’t be able to see her. She set her purse down on one of the desks and approached the bars. “Surely, by now, you’ve become familiar with life behind bars, seeing as you’ve been here before.”

Emma sat up and eyed Regina with an angry glare. “What do you want? Come here to wallow even more in your victory?”

“Why whatever do you mean?” She feigned ignorance, though they both knew what was going on.

“Please, I’m not stupid, Regina.”

“I’m not sure what you’re getting at?”

“You know exactly what I’m getting at. I know you’re behind all of this: Graham’s death, my arrest. It’s just lucky for you that I can’t prove any of it. Not yet, at least.”

“Careful, Miss Swan. Unfounded accusations like that could get more charges added to you’re growing list,” Regina paused, though continued on, “I’m here to notify you that the District Attorney will be here soon to interview you soon about the case. After that, you’ll be sent to the prison in Augusta, where you’ll wait out the remainder of time until after your trial.”

Emma was about to respond, before the entrance doors to the police station suddenly swung open behind them, and in strode the town's two leading detectives that had been assigned to Graham's case; the very men that Regina and her mother had encouraged to pursue the investigation in Graham's death. They startled Regina and Emma for a brief second, but what was far more startling was the person who they led in with them, in handcuffs:  _Mary Margaret._

The smile already spread across Regina's face grew even wider, as yet another part of her and Cora's plan fell into place.  _It was all working out perfectly._

"What's going on?" Emma cried from her cells as she saw the brunette being carted into the room, "What are you doing with her? Mary Margaret what's-" 

The other woman barely gazed at Emma, before her eyes fell towards the ground as she remained silent during the entire encounter, her arms behind her back as the detectives led her into the cell beside Emma's. 

"Ms. Blanchard is evidently being arrested for something," Regina chirped as she turned to face the detectives. "What are the charges, men?" she asked, like a giddy child awaiting to open their Christmas or Birthday presents. She could barely contain her enthusiasm.

"We believe that Ms. Blanchard was involved in Sheriff Graham's murder. When we went back through the evidence we found at the crime scene, we found incriminating material that suggested that Ms. Blanchard might've assisted Ms. Swan in helping to kill our town's sheriff." 

"But that's ridiculous! Mary Margaret wouldn't hurt a fly!" 

"Save it for your lawyer, Ms. Swan," Regina called out as she, after a moment of taking in her victory, started making her way to exit the building. She needed to tell her mother the good news. . .


End file.
